2 Jadeveon ClowneySt. Louis Rams (7-9)COLLEGE: South CarolinaAGE: 21HT: 6-5WT: 266POS: DE
Analysis: If Clowney doesn't go No. 1 to the Texans, the Rams will be ecstatic for two reasons: One, it would drive up the trade value for the No. 2 pick (at No. 6, the Falcons are one potential trade partner); and two, if the Rams don't get a trade offer that makes sense, they'll have the opportunity to take the best player in this draft and transform a good, young defense into an exceptional one. Yes, I know that the Rams already have a very good defensive line (and O-line was an issue last season), but in today's NFL, when you're defending the pass as much as teams are, being able to rotate your D-linemen or move a guy like Robert Quinn inside to rush the quarterback on passing downs would be a huge asset. Second down is the new third down. Greg Robinson is the pick if Clowney goes first.

This is another niggle that I've got on this draft & have had since day 1.

No matter who we pick, no one ever mocks Bridgewater, Bortles, or Manziel to St. Louis.

Bradford has been there for 4 years. He's on the final 2 years of his rookie contract. He'll have a $14M salary & $17M cap number. The Rams are as cap strapped as we are. But no one sees any of the three as an upgrade to a guy who only recently shown himself to be a quality starter.

Obviously no one believes the three to be an upgrade over Sam Bradford. Even at a substantial $10M cap savings. Yeah, they passed on RG3, at that time they'd have lost money on cutting Bradford. Now, they can walk away clean.

This is another niggle that I've got on this draft & have had since day 1.

Obviously no one believes the three to be an upgrade over Sam Bradford.

No, nobody believes they will do it. It was floated several times early on and the Rams have shot it down hard. They are not going to dump Bradford without letting him have a chance after injury. Plus he was having his best season when he went down - highest comp. %, TD %, lowest INT %, highest ypa, ypg & QB rating.

1. Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
There has been some Johnny Manziel-to-Houston buzz in the last few days, but I think this pick will come down to Clowney and UCF quarterback Blake Bortles. The Texans really need a QB, and Bortles has the highest ceiling of any passer in this draft, but I just think it's going to be too difficult for the Texans to pass on Clowney. He is the best player in this class and the most naturally talented defensive lineman I've ever evaluated, and guys like him simply don't come around that often. The Texans will find a good fit for him in defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel's versatile scheme.

2. St. Louis Rams (from WAS): Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo

4. Cleveland Browns: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF

5. Oakland Raiders: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

6. Atlanta Falcons: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M

8. Minnesota Vikings: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M

9. Buffalo Bills: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina

10. Detroit Lions: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama

11. Tennessee Titans: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

12. New York Giants: Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan

13. St. Louis Rams: C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama

14. Chicago Bears: Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh

15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State

16. Dallas Cowboys: Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State

17. Baltimore Ravens: Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame

18. New York Jets: Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State

19. Miami Dolphins: Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia

20. Arizona Cardinals: Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville

21. Green Bay Packers: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Marqise Lee, WR, USC

23. Kansas City Chiefs: Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana

24. Cincinnati Bengals: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State

25. San Diego Chargers: Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State

26. Cleveland Browns (from IND): Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State

27. New Orleans Saints: Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech

28. Carolina Panthers: Joel Bitonio, OT, Nevada
The Panthers are in a tough spot in this scenario. Most of the best available prospects are defensive front-seven players, but where the Panthers really need help is at offensive line and wide receiver. Bitonio has the potential to fill the void at left tackle for Carolina, and worst-case scenario he could kick inside to guard and become an outstanding interior lineman. He is a bit top-heavy, but he has surprisingly good movement skills, plays with an edge and battles for a full four quarters every game (he completely shut down Anthony Barr, pushing him around most of the game).

29. New England Patriots: Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame

30. San Francisco 49ers: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU

31. Denver Broncos: Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota

32. Seattle Seahawks: Xavier Su'a-Filo, G, UCLA

Second round33. Houston Texans: Tom Savage, QB, Pittsburgh
This pick is made based on the premise that the Texans wouldn't need him to play right away. Savage has very good arm strength, but Bill O'Brien would need to work with him on getting the ball out quicker and improving his footwork.

34. Washington Redskins: Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
Kouandjio could be a steal here, but his inconsistency and long-term durability are concerns.

35. Cleveland Browns: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
Jean-Baptiste has very good size at 6-3, 218 pounds, and would be a nice fit in Cleveland.

36. Oakland Raiders: Anthony Barr, DE/OLB, UCLA
I don't have Barr ranked as high as some others, but he is a good speed rusher of the edge who could help in Oakland.

37. Atlanta Falcons: Dee Ford, DE/OLB, Auburn
Atlanta gets offensive line help with its first pick and adds an undersized edge rusher here in Ford.

38. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
I could see Ealy dropping a little bit, as there is more finesse to his game than you'd like to see, but he can rush the passer and the Bucs need that in their defensive scheme.

39. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
I love the match between Garoppolo and the Jaguars here, as they'd be able to develop him behind veteran QB Chad Henne.

41. Buffalo Bills: Ja'Wuan James, OT, Tennessee
After passing up on a tackle at No. 9 overall, the Bills get a good value in James who is a great fit for their zone-blocking scheme.

42. Tennessee Titans: Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame
Tuitt's versatility is a plus in the Titans' hybrid 3-4, 4-3 defense, and he's a good value at this spot, too.

43. New York Giants: Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State
Shazier would finally give the Giants a big-time athlete at linebacker, which outweighs any concerns about his size.

44. St. Louis Rams: Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
I would have liked to have gotten a big-play receiver for the Rams here, but the best available WRs are more of the possession type. Plus, Bucannon fills a need and has a higher grade.

46. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
The Steelers have bigger needs, but Amaro has a higher grade than the prospects at other need areas, and as much as I love Heath Miller, they need to get younger at tight end.

47. Dallas Cowboys: Jeremiah Attaochu, DE, Georgia Tech
Attaochu could be effective as a 4-3 left defensive end for the Cowboys. That gives them two talented defensive linemen in the first two rounds, which I think is important for them.

49. New York Jets: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
The addition of Seferian-Jenkins, a very good red-zone threat, and first-round pick Brandin Cooks, gives the Jets' QBs a chance to be successful this season.

50. Miami Dolphins: Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU
The Dolphins have bigger needs here, but I still think they need to add depth and competition at wide receiver. Landry had a poor 40-yard dash time at the combine, but he is a really good football player who does all the little things right, is a tough blocker and great in the slot.

51. Chicago Bears: Keith McGill, CB, Utah
McGill has great size for a cornerback at 6-3, 211 pounds, and would be a nice addition to the Bears' secondary.

52. Arizona Cardinals: Demarcus Lawrence, OLB, Boise State
Lawrence provides the Cardinals with another pass-rusher coming off the edge.

53. Green Bay Packers: Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame
Niklas may not be an instant-impact player for the Packers as a rookie, but I really like his long-term potential.

54. Philadelphia Eagles: Terrance Brooks, S, Florida State
Brooks is something of a reach for the Eagles here, but they need a safety and Brooks brings good playmaking ability.

55. Cincinnati Bengals: Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon State
Crichton is a good fit for the Bengals as a high-energy pass-rusher from the defensive end position.

56. San Francisco 49ers (from Kansas City): Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
The 49ers could use another reliable pass-catcher, and while Matthews isn't the fastest WR (he plays slower than his 4.46 40 time indicates), he has good size and strong overall ball skills.

58. New Orleans Saints: Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
Richardson's inconsistent ball skills make him a risky pick, but he is one of the best route runners in this class and has very good deep speed.

59. Indianapolis Colts: Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin
I was surprised Borland lasted this long, but I think this is a case where positional value bumps him down a bit. I have an early second-round grade on him. I'd rather see him as a 4-3 middle linebacker, but he'd be fine at the weak inside linebacker position in a 3-4.

60. Carolina Panthers: Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina
Ellington is one of the more underrated receivers in this class, with great hands and acceleration.

61. San Francisco 49ers: Marcus Martin, C, USC
Martin has the potential to be a good starting NFL center for a long time.

62. New England Patriots: Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State

I had a hard time finding a spot for Hyde, and it wouldn't shock me if we don't see a running back drafted in the first or second rounds this season. I get that the Patriots have other needs, but I think he'd make sense because he does a good job of protecting the football and the quarterback, and he is a good receiver out of the backfield.

63. Denver Broncos: Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson
Bryant could struggle a bit with the mental aspect of the game early on in his career, but he is a burner who can really stretch the field vertically.

64. Seattle Seahawks: Jack Mewhort, OT, Ohio State
Mewhort would be a reach here, but the Seahawks need a right tackle and there's a big drop-off at this position after the first few go off the board. I think he'll be an overachiever in the NFL.

I would prefer Clowney and Mettenberger or Clowney and Garoppolo but yeah, it would be OK. It's not like the Jags and Teets aren't going to get anybody. I mean, they get to pick too. Law of averages says sooner or later they're going to eventually turn the corner too.

To me Savage at 2-1 says OB plans on winning in a couple of years, say maybe "2016" and I really don't want to hear that **** right now. Mettenberger or Garoppolo I think is starting by the end of 2014 unless Fitz just has us winning against bad competition but probably still starts opening day 2015.

To me Savage at 2-1 says OB plans on winning in a couple of years, say maybe "2016" and I really don't want to hear that **** right now. Mettenberger or Garoppolo I think is starting by the end of 2014 unless Fitz just has us winning against bad competition but probably still starts opening day 2015.

Interesting.

I don't know what to think about Savage. I like that he played in the ACC & not the AAC. I think it says a lot that he was pretty much a walk on at Pitt & got the starting job after having to learn the offense on his own.

I don't know how I feel about using 2-1 on him though. With Mettenberger, Carr, Murray, Fales, Shaw, Boyd, Renner, Lynch, etc... all still on the board. Oh year, McCarron too. I'd really love to see their board if we take Savage there & know what they're thinking... of course that'll never happen. Well, McClain will let us know what they're thinking.

Still, from what little I do know, Savage played well when he played. I don't see why he would be out the whole year, especially if we're not winning.

Derek Carr is available at 2.1 and we take Tom Savage.... This is why I hate these so called draft experts, he's just throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks. He's changing his mock, being more controversial so that he'll get more notice and thus more hits on the company site.

The mock drafts I've put together over the past five months have been projections of the picks I think each team would make at that particular draft position. For this one, we're mixing things up a bit. The picks you see below are the players I would choose if making the picks for each team, not what I'm necessarily expecting to happen on draft night.

My colleague Mel Kiper started this concept a few years back with his "Grade: A draft" and now I'm stuck doing the same -- but it's actually a beneficial exercise because it's no longer about fitting pieces into a puzzle, but instead 32 independent and challenging decisions based purely on my own prospect and NFL roster evaluations. And it also reveals some interesting potential scenarios for the draft's first round.

One important note: There are no trades allowed in this exercise. In the situations where I'm not crazy about any of the options available to that team, I still have to come up with a pick.

With all of that out of the way, here are my choices for the 32 first-round picks.

1. Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
I've felt like I've been taking crazy pills lately in having to defend Clowney as the potential No. 1 overall pick. I understand the concerns over his effort, but I feel as though those have largely been overblown, and you simply don't get many opportunities to draft a player this good; he's the most naturally talented defensive lineman I've ever evaluated. The Texans need a quarterback, but even though I think Blake Bortles should develop into a good NFL starter -- and I think coach Bill O'Brien would be great for Bortles' development -- I can't justify passing on Clowney (or any of the top elite four prospects in this draft, for that matter) to take him.